Buzz-a-Rama, the beloved slot car spot in Kensington, closes after nearly six decades

The neighborhood institution was the last place in New York to race slot cars

Buzz-a-Rama, the last place for slot-car racing in New York City, has closed after nearly 60 years in business.

Located in Kensington, the neighborhood hangout was unique because it had electrified racing tracks for kids to race slot-cars—an increasingly rare hobby that was a fad in the 1960s. It also had vintage arcade games and sold hard-to-find replacement parts for slot cars.

Owners Frank (aka Buzz) and Dolores Perri open Buzz-a-Rama in 1965 and ran the location until their deaths in 2021. Both died from Covid-19 after refusing the vaccine. Their son, Frank, decided to shutter the spot because the taxes were too costly and he’s selling off its inventory and other vintage goodies, like old shop signs and arcade games.

“It’s kinda sad, it’s the end of an era. People are coming in, [saying] ‘I used to race here, my father, my grandfather used to take me here,’” Frank told Gothamist. “And people are coming in and shedding tears that this is coming to an end.”

Frank was a well-known and recognizable member of the Kensington community. He told Inside Edition in February 2020 that he was born in Brooklyn and remembers when the subway raised their rates to 10 cents decades ago he lost half of his customers.

“No matter where we go, somebody knows Buzz,” Dolores said at the time.